Steam Center Blog

Widespread deforestation has taken place on the planet over the last century due to human activity. While this deforestation affects the planet and all life that dwells upon it in numerous ways, this note mentions three effects on climate change that includes climate extremes 1. Atmospheric Turbulence The greater the atmospheric turbulence, greater are the chances of unexpected climatic phenomenon i.e. climate extremes. Winds move over the surface of earth in what scientists call as atmospheric boundary layers. It is well known phenomenon in turbulence science that turbulence in such boundary layers is damped when roughness exists on the surface. Forests with tall trees are one such roughness. Therefore the fewer the forests on land the greater the atmospheric turbulence and greater the chances of climate extremes. 2. Evaporation from Trees Evaporation from tree leaves absorbs the sun’s heat that falls on the planet. It is for this reason, during day ho...

https://www.oxfam.org/en/grow-ethiopia-food-crisis-ethiopia/how-climate-change-helping-fuel-massive-hunger-crisis-east-africa Several African countries are suffering huge problems of hunger, some arising from internal conflicts and prolonged droughts. Local food is not available for humans leave alone domestic and wild animals and thus life is being extinguished. As large numbers of humans leave home and village for more hospitable areas as refugees, they expand problems of neighboring areas and countries too. International organizations such as the UN and OXFAM repeatedly appeal for food aid and are able to provide some relief from time to time. While such aid is necessary, it is only a short term measure and the question that needs to be addressed is:- A side from temporary relief, is there a sustainable solution to rescue these communities from suffering? As a matter of fact there is a solution. It is easy to implement and it will not just help such dro...

 https://pixabay.com/en/bengal-tiger-tiger-forestry-bengal-1149535/ Tiger Tiger Save my Fiber A newspaper report today ( see here ) indicated that villagers have expressed a desire to move out of a forest area in order to access more modern infrastructure. In fact many more villages would do so voluntarily provided they are given a good alternative. Herein lies an opportunity for India and the world to achieve three highly laudable goals Expand forests by connecting existing patches that are near to each other thereby improving climate and environment of the planet Create an expanded tiger and other wild animal reserve for rapidly disappearing animals as well as forest flora and bio resources Create model new villages based on innovative new design as suggested earlier by this author ( see here ) Corridors of compassion as described in an earlier post in the blog ( see here ) may then be created for any highways that pass...

Climate Change and Global Warming ( text superimposed on sketch by C.F. Hall)   Y esterday there was a news item by BBC describing how an advisor to the Australian Prime Minister mentioned that climate change theories are a hoax. To quote from it,   "It's a well-kept secret, but 95% of the climate models we are told prove the link between human CO2 emissions and catastrophic global warming have been found, after nearly two decades of temperature stasis, to be in error." Mr Newman said the public had been "subjected to extravagance from climate catastrophists for close to 50 years", and swallowed "dud predictions" from weather bureaus who presented "homogenised" data to suit narratives. He also said the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which reviews and assesses scientific work relevant to climate change for the UN, had been exposed "repeatedly for ­mis­rep­resentation and shoddy methods". The UN, he sai...

Dark Clouds over Syria, oil on canvas by Ashok Do we need more carbon dioxide or less on the planet? In order to answer that question properly, it would  be useful to ascertain  what is the best level of this gas in the atmosphere is as regards the long term well being of all life on the planet - plants, animals, and humans. The present level in the atmosphere is around 400 ppm. Studies have shown that a level of around 1000 ppm is best for plants. Therefore it seems that at least from the point of view of the green side of life, we need around two and a half times our present levels. At a time when most evolution of life took place on the planet, the carbon dioxide levels were much higher.  During the Cambrian period that saw an explosion of new life forms, it was around fifteen times as high. Most of that evolution took place in the oceans that prospered hugely by the increased dissolved carbon dioxide . The higher ph levels were a breeding ground for ...

W ith atmospheric CO2 concentrations reaching the 400 ppm level, the media and a number of scientists have set off the alarm bells, claiming “record high levels” of CO2 had been reached, and that the planet is on the verge of an overdose. Is this really true? It appears that some 200 million years ago when CO2 levels were 4-5 times present levels, the period that saw the rise of giant fern forests--and then continued a slow decline until recent pre-industrial time. http://earthguide.ucsd.edu/virtualmuseum/climatechange2/07_1.shtml Also to quote another readily available online source, “Note that at high CO2 concentrations, such as 800 ppm, plants thrive. But as CO2 levels fall off, growth rates really start to plummet once they fall below 500 ppm. History shows that the Earth sustains much more life, i.e. is much greener and fruitful, when CO2 levels are higher, i.e. in the vicinity of 1000 ppm,”   which is two and a half times the present levels ...